Nora slowly heals from her anguish with the help of farm hand Ozzie Kline, who has loved her since they were teenagers. As Nora and Ozzie begin to find a tentative happiness together, Neal returns. Though she wants to only raise horses and love Ozzie, she must find the courage to confront her spouse who tries to blackmail her into taking him back (under his conditions) by using their living child as his pawn and by threatening to re-hospitalize Nora. Can Nora stick to her guns and demand a divorce so that she can enjoy life raising horses and loving Ozzie? Or will she fold under spousal pressure again?

NIGHT RIDE HOME is an interesting relationship drama filled with characters who feel like next door neighbors as they cope with grief. Each chapter is told by a different character, a gimmick that could easily have failed under a lesser talent than Barbara Esstman. Instead this technique makes the book more interesting as the various perspectives come alive. Though the post WW II era does not shine through due to a lack of detail, this novel should not be passed up by fans of relationship novels.